Hitching device.



No. 818,045. PATENTBD FEB. 20, 1906.

G. W. HAZLEWOOD & H. G. ROBINSON.

HITOHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1904.

9 m\\l""""""" nnllllllllllllllW- GEORGE WV. HAZLEWOOD AND HENRY O. ROBINSON, OF

WELLS, TEXAS.

MINERAL HITCHING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed November 26, 1904. Serial No. 234,426.

To a whom it 'nuty concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. HAZLE- W001) and HENRY C. ROBINSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Mineral Wells, in the county of Palo Pinto and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hitching Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hitching devices, and has for its objects to produce a simple inexpensive device of this character which in practice will permit of an animal being readily released from a hitching-post or the like by the occupant of a vehicle, thus obviating the necessity for releasing the animal prior to entering the vehicle.

To these ends the invention comprises the novel features of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hitching device embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view showing the parts of the device in re leasing position. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the forward portion of the device as viewed in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front end elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the device.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a hitching-strap connected at one end with a hitching member 2, adapted for engagement with a bit-ring 3, to which is connected one end of a rein 4, these parts, except as hereinafter explained, being of the usual or any appropriate construction and material.

The hitching device 2 comprises a primary member 5 and a secondary relatively movable member 6, pivoted adjacent its longitudinal center to the normally lower face of member 5 by means of a transverse pintle or axle 7. The primary member 5 is provided at its rear end with a transverse eye 8 for the reception of the adjacent end of the hitchingstrap and at its forward end with right-angularly-disposed portions or fingers 9, which normally overlap the adjacent end of the secondary member 6, the latter being provided adjacent its. rear end with an engaging member or spring 10 and at its forward end with a longitudinally disposed outwardly opening slot or recess 11 for the reception of the bitring 3, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The member 5 has its forward portion in advance of the pivot 7 bent or otherwise shaped to produce a recess 12 for the reception of a head 13, formed at the forward end of the member 6, the slot 11 being disposed longitudinally of and Within the head 13, while the member 6 is transversely bent between its ends at 14 for disposing the head to lie properly in the recess 12 when the members are in closed position.

In practice the device 2 is engaged with the harness by seating the bit-ring in the slot 11 and moving the member'6 to closed position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, whereupon the spring member 1O will engage the adjacent portion of the shank of the primary member 5 for maintaining the parts in closed position, and the fingers 9 will overlap the open end of and serve to close the slot 11, thus preventing disengagement of the bit-ring with the device. In moving the member 6 to closed or hitching position the rein 4 is seated beneath the spring member 10, whereupon when it is desired to release the animal from the hitchingpost the occupant of a vehicle may by tightening the rein swing the member 6 to releasing position, as illustrated in Fig. 2, thus permitting the ring 3 to escape from the slot 11.

From the foregoing it is apparent that we produce a simple device by which the animal may remain hitched until the operator has become seated in the vehicle, thus obviating the liability of the animal starting until the operator has been properly seated. In attaining these ends minor changes in the details herein set forth may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

-Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A hitching device comprising a pair of members pivoted for relative swinging movement, one of the members being provided with an open recess for the reception of a bitring, and the other with a portion for normally closing said opening.

2. A hitching device comprising a pair of members pivotally connected for relative movement, one of the members being provided with an outwardly-opening recess designed for the reception of a bit-ring and the other with a portion for normally closing said recess, and means for maintaining the members in closed position.

3. A hitching device comprising a pair of members pivotally connected for relative swinging movement, one of the members behitching strap, a hitching device carried ing provided with an outwardly-opening recess for the reception of a bit-ring and the other With a portion for normally closing said recess, and a spring-engaging member carried by one of the members and adapted for engagement With the other to maintain the members in normally closed position, the engaging member being designed for engagement by a rein to permit movement of the members to releasing position.

4. In a device of the class described, a

thereby and adapted for engagement With a bit-ring, and a movable member operable by a rein for releasing the device from the bitrln fn testimony whereof We afiiX our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE W. HAZLEWOOD. HENRY C. ROBINSON. Witnesses:

J. H. COLEMAN, CHAS. COON. 

